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yCar-Couplings. l

910,148,934, Patented March 24,1874.

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NETE STATES VILLIAM D. CONDONv AND JAMES M. oLEM, on OPELIKA, ALABAMA,

ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD THEIR RIGHT TO GEO. A. BIRCH AND ALEX.

l?. BIRCH, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT iN CARCOUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 148,934, dated March 24,1874; application filed February 13, 1874.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM D. OoNDoN and JAMES M. OLEM, of Opelika, in the county of Lee and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar- Oouplin gs 5 and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

The nature of our invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a car-coupling, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which our invention appertains to make and use the same, we will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring' to the annexed drawing, in which- Figure l is a vplan view, and Fig. 2 a lengitudinal vertical section, of our car-coupling.

A represents the draw-head or bumper of a railroad-car, provided with aflarin g mouth, B, and curved at its front end, as shown in Fig. l. Iiongitudinally in the center, on the top and bottom ofthe draw-head, is a re-enfcrce, O, and longitudinally through the re-enforced portions of the draw-head, both at the top and bottom, is a slot, a. D represents the coupling-block, made in the flat and broad shape shown in Fig. 2, with a projection, Z), at the top, on the rear side. This coupling-block is pivoted in the slot in the top of the drawhead by means of a shaft, d, passing through the top re-enforce O, which is provided with elongated slot c', and through the block D. This elongated slot e allows the block D to have a firm bearing against the draw-head when the ears are coupled. The lower end of the block D enters the bottoni slot ofthe drawhead. The ordinary straight or crooked coupling-link E is used with this car-coupling. When the link enters the draw-head it strikes the front edge of the coupling-block D, and turns the saine upon its pivot, and as soon as the link has entered sufciently far the block drops down within the link, coupling the cars. The strain of the link comes exclusively upon the draw-head, as the block D, by means of the elongated slots in the re-ent'orce, through which the shaft d passes, will jam up against the re-enforced parts of the draw-head, both at the top and bottom, at the front ends of the slots a a, and hence remove all strain from the shaft d. One end of the shaft d is supported in a loop or bearing, e, afxed to the fra-mework ofthe ear, and has a pendent lever or handle, G, attached to it at this end. The other end of the shaft d is bent toward the rear, forming a crank, d', the extremity ot' which is inserted in a hole in the projection b of the coupling-block. By swinging the handle or lever G backward, the crank d will turn the coupling-block on its pivot to uncouple the cars.

It will be seen by this construction that the same shaft which forms the pivot for the coupling-block constitutes the means or device by which the coupling-block is turned for uncoupling.

Vhen the cars are coupled, the lever or handle G may be locked, by means of hook h, to the frame of the car, and thus prevent any possibility of its coming uncoupled accidentally.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The block D, draw-head A, and re-enforce O, having elongated slot e', in combination with bent shaft d, handle G, and hook 71 all constructed as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we atlx our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

' VILLIAM D. CONDON.

JAMES M. CLEM.

Vitnesses H. C. Scorr, J. TYLER POWELL. 

